A medical, nursing or midwifery elective abroad is an investment — but you rarely have to pay for it all yourself. There are hundreds of bursaries, grants, scholarships and mobility schemes that exist specifically to help healthcare students travel and learn overseas, and most go unclaimed simply because students don’t know where to look or start too late. This guide brings the best options together for students in the UK, US, Italy and Spain, with who they’re for, what they’re worth and where to apply.

Med Trips is not affiliated with any of the funders below, and we don’t administer their awards. Amounts, eligibility and deadlines change every year — always confirm the current details on each funder’s official website before you apply.

Can you really get funded for your elective?

Yes — and more often than students expect. Funding comes from several different places, and the strongest applicants combine two or three of them:

Royal colleges and professional bodies — small, competitive elective bursaries tied to your discipline.
Your university and medical/nursing school — almost every UK school has its own elective fund; many in Europe run mobility grants.
Charitable trusts and foundations — general and niche awards for students travelling or training.
Government and EU mobility schemes — Erasmus+ in Italy and Spain, federal aid in the US.
Fundraising and sponsorship — events, online profiles and local sponsors can cover a surprising share of the cost.

The trick is to apply for several smaller awards rather than chasing one big one. As one rule of thumb goes: the narrower the niche, the less competition you’ll face.

Before you apply: a quick game plan

Start early

Begin 9–18 months before you travel. Many bursaries run once a year with fixed deadlines, and the most generous ones close earliest. Build a simple spreadsheet of funds, amounts, eligibility and deadlines as you go.

Know what funders look for

Most awards want to see clear learning objectives, a sense of why this placement and destination, and how you’ll share what you learn (many funders ask for a short report or presentation afterwards). Tie your application to your specialty interest and the funder’s mission.

How much should you apply for?

Read each fund’s cap and ask for what your costs justify — flights, in-country fee, insurance, vaccinations and visas. Several modest grants of £200–£1,000 add up faster than you’d think.

What your university will ask for

Your school’s elective office will usually need a signed-off proposal, named supervisor, risk assessment and insurance details before approving funding. Med Trips can provide the placement documentation your university needs — see our group and university support.

Funding for UK students

The UK has the deepest pool of elective funding in the world. Start with your own medical or nursing school, then layer on royal-college and charitable awards.

Medicine

Royal College of Physicians (RCP) elective bursaries — grants of around £500 for UK undergraduates on overseas electives.
Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) — a range of student travel grants and elective bursaries.
Institute of Medical Ethics — bursaries of up to £1,000 for electives with an ethics focus.
Royal College of Surgeons — elective prizes and awards, several with a global-surgery or developing-world focus.
British Medical & Dental Students’ Trust (BMDST) and the Beit Trust (for placements in Zambia, Zimbabwe or Malawi).
The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) maintains a helpful elective funding advice hub.

For the comprehensive list, the Medical Schools Council publishes a directory of organisations offering elective bursaries — the single best starting point for UK medical students.

Nursing & midwifery

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) — scholarships and bursaries for members.
Iolanthe Midwifery Trust — student awards of up to £1,000 (and up to £1,500 for qualified midwives), including help with elective travel.
Florence Nightingale Foundation — travel, leadership and research scholarships, opening each September.
Cavell Nurses’ Trust and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) — awards and hardship support for nursing and midwifery students.

Physiotherapy, dentistry & radiography

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) — student financial support and elective/placement awards.
British Dental Association (BDA) — guidance on hardship funds, grants and other sources for dental students.
NHS Learning Support Fund — eligible nursing, midwifery and allied-health students can claim training grants plus Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) for clinical placements, and specialist-subject payments for radiography.

Your university — don’t skip it

Nearly every UK medical and healthcare school runs its own elective bursary or travel award, and competition is lower than national schemes because only your cohort can apply. Ask your elective coordinator first.

Fund	For	Typically worth
RCP elective bursary	UK medical students	~£500
Institute of Medical Ethics	Electives with an ethics focus	Up to £1,000
Iolanthe Midwifery Trust	Midwifery students	Up to £1,000
RCN scholarships	Nursing (RCN members)	Varies
CSP awards	Physiotherapy students	Varies
NHS Learning Support Fund (TDAE)	Nursing/midwifery/AHP placements	Travel + accommodation
Your university’s elective fund	All disciplines	Varies — ask first

Funding for US students

US medical and nursing students fund electives through scholarships, school global-health offices and, in some cases, federal aid applied to approved away rotations.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship — up to $5,000 for Pell Grant recipients studying or interning abroad (primarily undergraduate, so most relevant to pre-med and nursing undergraduates).
Benjamin H. Kean Travel Fellowship (ASTMH) — supports medical students on clinical or research electives in tropical medicine.
CDC Epidemiology Elective Program — public-health experience for senior medical and veterinary students.
Child Family Health International (CFHI) — global-health program scholarships.
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) — global-health scholarships and a curated funding list.
Your school’s Office of Global Health — most US medical schools offer internal travel awards for international electives; this is usually the highest-yield route.

Federal aid (FAFSA) and 529 funds may apply when the elective is approved for credit by your school — check with your financial-aid office.

Funding for students in Italy

Italian students fund overseas electives mainly through EU mobility schemes run by their own university.

Erasmus+ Traineeship (tirocinio) — funds work placements abroad of 2–12 months with a monthly grant scaled to the destination’s cost of living. Single-cycle degrees such as Medicine can use up to 24 months of mobility across the course.
Your university’s Ufficio Erasmus / Relazioni Internazionali — publishes the annual bandi (calls) with eligibility and amounts.
Regional and university top-ups (integrazione) — additional contributions for students who qualify on income grounds.

Funding for students in Spain

As in Italy, the main route for Spanish students is Erasmus+, coordinated nationally by SEPIE and administered by each university.

Erasmus+ Prácticas — funds clinical placements and traineeships abroad of 2–12 months, typically €300–€700 per month depending on the destination country.
SEPIE (Servicio Español para la Internacionalización de la Educación) — the national agency; collects current European mobility calls.
Your university’s Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales — manages applications and top-up becas.
Private and bank scholarships (e.g. Becas Santander) and faculty-specific becas.

Funding at a glance

Where you study	Main route	Who it’s for	Typical amount	Apply via
UK	Royal-college & university elective bursaries	Med, nursing, midwifery, AHP, dental	£200–£3,000 (stack several)	Your school + Medical Schools Council list
US	Scholarships + school global-health offices	Med & nursing students	Up to ~$5,000	Gilman, ASTMH, CFHI, your global-health office
Italy	Erasmus+ Traineeship	Enrolled university students	Monthly grant (by country)	University Erasmus office
Spain	Erasmus+ Prácticas	Enrolled university students	€300–€700/month	SEPIE + university int’l office

Beyond grants: fundraising your elective

Grants rarely cover everything — and many students raise the rest themselves. It’s not unusual to fund a large share of a placement through:

Events — quiz nights, bake sales, sponsored runs and challenges.
Local sponsors — pharmacies, GP practices, employers and community groups often contribute in return for a write-up.
An online fundraising profile — a clear, well-told page shared widely with friends, family and your network.
Getting your message out — local newspapers and university media love a good elective story.

Start by working out your real total — fee, flights, insurance, vaccinations, visa and spending money — then set a target and a timeline. Talk to our team and we’ll help you budget your trip.

Frequently asked questions

How early should I start applying for funding?

9–18 months ahead. The most generous bursaries run once a year and close early, so the sooner you build your list and start applying, the better.

Can I claim more than one grant?

Usually yes — most students combine several. Just read each funder’s rules; a few restrict claims if you’ve received other awards.

Does my elective need to be in a low-income country to get funding?

Not always, but many awards prioritise placements in lower-resource settings or with a global-health, ethics or specialty focus. Match your destination and objectives to the funder’s mission.

Will funders pay me directly?

Most pay on or after award, sometimes against receipts or a post-elective report. Plan your cash flow so you can book flights and secure your placement before the money arrives.

Does Med Trips arrange the funding?

No — we’re a placement provider, not a funder. But we give you the documentation (supervision, risk-assessment and insurance details) that funders and universities ask for, and our pricing is transparent so your application figures are accurate.

Start planning your funded elective

Pick your placement first — knowing the destination, specialty and cost makes every funding application stronger. Explore medical, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and dentistry electives, see our transparent prices, or get in touch and we’ll help you plan and budget.

Disclaimer: Med Trips is independent of the funders listed on this page and cannot guarantee any award. Figures are indicative and change frequently — always check each funder’s official website for current amounts, eligibility and deadlines before applying.

How to Fund Your Medical Elective Abroad